pickup

American  

[pik-uhp] / ˈpɪkˌʌp /

noun

• pickups
  plural

1. an improvement, as in health, business conditions, work, production, etc.

2. Informal. pick-me-up.

3. Informal. a casual, usually unintroduced acquaintance, often one made in hope of a sexual relationship.

4. an instance of stopping for or taking aboard passengers or freight, as by a train, ship, taxicab, etc., especially an instance of taking freight or a shipment of goods onto a truck.

5. the person, freight, or shipment so taken aboard.

   The cab driver had a pickup at the airport who wanted to be driven to the docks.

6. Automotive.

   1. capacity for rapid acceleration.

   2. acceleration; increase in speed.

   3. Also called pickup truck.  a small truck with a low-sided open body, used for deliveries and light hauling.

7. Baseball. the act of fielding a ball after it hits the ground.

8. Also called cartridge.  a small device attached to the end of a phonograph tone arm that contains a stylus and the mechanism that translates the movement of the stylus in a record groove into a changing electrical voltage.

9. Radio.

   1. the act of receiving sound waves in the transmitting set in order to change them into electrical waves.

   2. a receiving or recording device.

   3. the place from which a broadcast is being transmitted.

   4. interference.

10. Television.

    1. the change of light energy into electrical energy in a television camera.

    2. camera tube.

    3. a telecast made directly from the scene of an action.

11. a hitchhiker.

12. Metalworking. (in the cold-drawing of metal) the adhesion of particles of the metal to the die or plug.

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adjective

1. composed of or employing whatever persons are available on a more or less impromptu basis.

   a pickup game of baseball; a pickup dance band.

2. using whatever ingredients are handy or available.

   a Sunday night pickup supper.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pickups
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pickup

First recorded in 1855–60; noun use of verb phrase pick up

Explanation

A pickup is a truck with an open bed, perfect for helping a friend move into a new apartment. It's also the act of picking something up — so you might make the furniture pickup in your pickup. The meanings of pickup include takeout: "I ordered the pad Thai for pickup." It also means "acceleration," like your dad's speedy car with amazing pickup or the pickup in sales at your lemonade stand on a hot day. And in sports a pickup game is impromptu and casual. As for a light truck with a closed cab, pickup is short for pickup truck, named after how handy it is for picking things up and delivering them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pickup pickups

Plate readers logging the cars in the pickup line.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

Surveys of purchasing managers recorded a pickup in activity in the eurozone, Japan and India during August, suggesting the global economy might avoid a further modest slowdown in the third quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Long queues of people could be seen evacuating towns on foot, by motorbike and car, some piled into the back of pickup trucks.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

A Downey man was charged with a federal firearm-related offense after he was apprehended at the Trump National Golf Club with ammunition in his pocket and a loaded firearm in his pickup truck.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

So when I turned twelve she came to the house with an old riding mower in the back of her Toyota pickup.

From "Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen

These layoffs are part of an initiative aimed at streamlining package pickups and deliveries by merging ground and express delivery networks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

By contrast, even as they introduced smaller and more powerful engines, Ford and GM each continued to offer V-8s in their pickups.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Sales of cheaper subcompact SUVs rose more than 23% last month compared with a year prior, according to industry-research firm Kelley Blue Book, while full-size pickups inched higher just 2.5%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Sales of traditionally powered vehicles rose 1% as Ford’s pickups continued to shine in the U.S. — the company said that some of its off-road-vehicle trims accounted for nearly a quarter of its U.S. sales.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

For a fistful of pickups tailored extra- specially for this nightmarish scenario, try Cyranofeed, available at rates as low as— She was like, “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you at Marty’s.”

From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• acceleration